A man who suspended himself from Brisbane’s Story Bridge and demanded the premier declare a climate emergency has faced court along with 29 other protesters.

October 9, 2019

A man who suspended himself from Brisbane’s Story Bridge for six hours to urge the premier to declare a climate emergency has been released from custody.

Paul David Jukes, a 49-year-old carpenter, briefly appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday on one charge of unregulated high-risk activity after climbing the bridge on Tuesday.

He was not required to enter a plea and the matter was adjourned to the same court on November 20.

Police prosecutor Josh Kelly did not oppose bail but did seek conditions banning Jukes from climbing any structures and not approaching six Brisbane bridges, including the Story, Captain Cook, Victoria, William Jolly and Go-Between bridges. 

Magistrate Elizabeth Hall rejected the application, saying Jukes did not have a criminal history and the conditions would be onerous given he has to return to court.

The maximum penalty if found guilty of unregulated high-risk activity is one-year’s imprisonment.

About 30 protesters have appeared in court, including Emma Jane Briggs, a 50-year-old hand-gliding instructor charged with obstructing traffic on Tuesday.

Asked why she had failed to heed police requests to leave the road, Briggs told Ms Hall the federal government was not doing enough to combat climate change.

“We’re running out of time. I just don’t know what else to do,” she said.

Briggs pleaded guilty to the charge and was released without penalty.

Another climate protester, Dylan James Bell, a 25-year-old disability support worker, who was arrested after he climbed onto the King George Square bus station with a banner on Tuesday and refused to come down for 28 minutes, was also released.

Police had sought a cost order for $500 for use of police resources against Bell but Ms Hall refused it, saying the work of responding to a protester was in the scope of normal police work.

Bell pleaded guilty to the charge of unregulated high-risk activity and was convicted but not fined.

Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman and midwife Emma Dorge, 23, also faced court.

Dorge was arrested on Wednesday morning for breaking a bail condition imposed two days earlier banning her from entering the Brisbane CBD.

Sergeant Kelly opposed her bail but the application was rejected after Dorge explained to Ms Hall the incursion occurred only because police pulled the car in which she was a passenger into a side street that was in her no-go zone.

Dorge was released to reappear for the breach of bail and two other protest-related matters on three dates later in October.